Car construction



G. G. GlLPlN 1,813,53-7

CAR CONSTRUCTION A .Filed May 16. 1929 4` Sheebs--Sheeil l aome l,

Eze/enf 01 varflz 6'. @il in July 7, 1931.

July 7,1931. G. G. GILPIN CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed May i6. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 OOOOOO @am G. eff in orneg l Juli? 7, 1931.

G. G. GlLPlN CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed May 1e, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l orzze' vPatented July 7, 1931 UNITED STATES YPATENT oFEicE GARTH G. GILPIN, OF. RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION METAL PRODUCTS CQMPANY, F C HICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIQN 0F` DELAWARE CAR CONSTRUUBION Application led Hay 16, 1.929. SerialNu. 363,550.

By nature of their requirements railway freight cars are out of doors substantially all the time, therefore, are subjected to corrosive action of the elements, and while paint and other non-corrosive coatings have been applied to the car parts, such protection not only has been found to be expensive in time and money, but the lading removes the coating. This is particularly true of the inside lo of vopen type cars which are turned upside down in unloading machines causing the load refrigerator and stock cars) cause rolled steel` or iron to corrode. On laccount of its increased strength rolled steel in the form of plates and bars has supplanted wood fin car construction but the corrosive action of theelements eats away the rolled steel or iron material reducing their strength and their length of life. `This appliesto both'the-load carry- 3o ing members, such as sills, plates and diaphragms and also to the lading retaining members,

found that cast metal, particularlycast steel,

hasmore than twice the resistance to corl rosion than rolled steel, therefore, one of the v objects of the-invention is to4 make the car part of cast metal, preferably cast steel, to

enable the ca r part to resist corrosion, and furthermore, to producev a construction wherein the metal can be disposed'and positioned to accommodate the stresses set up by the car in service; Such a ,cast construetion necessitates a minimum amount of materlal for strength requirements.

such as side and endvv walls, floors, -hoppers, hopperY doors, etc.` It has been Figs. 13 and 14 show Another object is to eliminate the cost and delay in fabricating thenumerous component parts ofthe present structural steel car parts.

Another object of forming the car part of cast metal isto eliminate the possibility of loose connections which would permit relative motion between theicomponent parts of the car part, as it is common knowledge that the vibration of the car in motion, due to rough and uneven track, and steel Wheels rolll,

ing on steel rails, together with longer trains and hlgh speeds in present day practice, cause riveted joints and built up sections to work loose and the railroads look with favor upon l any device which reduces the number of parts and joints, as these are the weak parts of the car and the more such weak parts are eliminated, the longer the life of the car.

In the drawings:

Fig. I shows a part elevation and part sec tion ofa hopper car provided with my improvements. l

Fig. 2 is a section on 1in@ 2 2 f Fig. 1.

y Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a--plan view of the center construction.

Fig. 5 Yshows a modified en d wall. Fig. 6 is a section of aI general service car 4with my improvements applied thereon.

Fig. 7 is a partial side elevation of Fig. 6.

Fig.' 8 is a section onv line 8 8 of Fig.`6 with a section ofthe end wall included.

Fig.'- 9 shows amodifie'dgondola car with my improvements.

` Fig. 10 is a partial side eleva-tion of 9.

Fig. 11 is a section on line 11`11 of Fig. 9. Fig. 12 lshows a modified construction.

A a modified car construction. v

Fig. 15 showsan integral casting comprising a part of the side wall, end wall and sloping I'loor.-

Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive -show my improvements applied to a railway hopper car. The

. side walls of this type car carry the load .to

'cured to an inner part their lower portion A deflecting under load the body holsters 2, and in the form shown, each side wall comprises a girder, consisting of a rolled steel top chord 3, a rolled steel bottom chord 4 (sometimes called side sill) and a cast metal web formed with integral stifeners. The web comprises a plurality of panels secured to the top chord at one end with the opposite ends of the central panel or panels 5 secured to the bottom chords and with the panels 6 adjacent the ends of the car extending downwardly only to the sloping floor 7 to which they are secured. Each panel is provided with\a flange 8 which is secured to a ange of the adjacent panel, which not only forms the means of connection therebetween, but also forms the stidener for the side girder, which function is usually performed by an additional side stake. In my construction the side stakes are omitted. These vflanges preferably project inwardly toward the car so that the webs 9 of the girders on the opposite sides of the car will be as far apart as possible to provide maximum cubical capacity of the car, as the webs of the girders are also the retaining walls for the load. The upper part ofthe web 10 is deiected inwardly toward the car and se- 11 of the upper chord and at this portion of the panel the connecting ianges 12 project outwardly from the car. Flange 12 is, in fact, a continuation of flange 8. This construction permits the car to be turned upside down in a dumping machine without retaining any of the load in the car.

Oneor more of the panels are provided with preferably integral brackets 18 with secured to the cross bearers 190i the car, and in fact, these braces may be cast integral with the cross bearers. These braces prevent the side girder from and also reinforce the web or retaining wall against the outward force of theload.

The sloping floor 7 consists of a plurality of cast metal panels which are provided with downwardly projecting flanges 20 secured to corresponding flanges on the adjacent panels, which perform the function of the usual licor stieners. One of these pairs of flanges is preferably located adjacent the 'body bolsterV 2 and secured thereto. l

The en d wall 21 is preferably of ribbed v cast-metal and formed integrally with the upper anel 2 2 of the sloping lioor 7. I prefer to orm the upper corners of integral castings comprising part 'of the end wall; art of the side wall and part as shown in Fig. 15. A portion 23 `of this 'casting is preferably olset or indented to accommodate the ladder and grab irons so that the outer portion of these `ladders or grab irons is flush with the the retaining wall.` l

` Fig. 5 shows a modified form wherein the end wall 24 consists of a cast metal panel pro-1 of the sloping oor,

'cured together, which ange outer surface of flanges and a depending flange 27 for attachment of the iange 28 of the sloping floor panel. Stifening ribs 29 are also provided to reinforce the web of the end wall. Fig. 5 also `shows the longitudinal stiifening flange 3Q of the sloping floor:

I also provide a cast metal hood 35 which covers the center sills 36 or center construction between the oppositel sloping floors 7 to which it is secured. See Figs. 3 and 4. This hood prevents the' moist lading from coming in contact with the rolled steel center sills which would cause corrosion; further, the sloping top portions assist in discharging the lading into the hoppers. These hoods may extend downwardly (37) and cover the sides of the center sills, as well as their top portions and the cast metal hoppers 38 are preferably secured to these downwardly extending portions of the hood as well as to the center sills 36.

The cross bearers 19 are also preferably formed of cast metal and may extend between the opposite sidewalls or .may extend'from l side wall to center Asill and are arranged to accommodate the hood (see Figs.- 3 and 4) and also formed with hinge butts 40 for the hopper doors 41. The cross diaphragms have sloping top portions 42 to discharge the lading into the hopper and if the side braces 18 are formed separatel they are arranged to provide means of attac ment thereto.

Figs. 6 to 14 show my improvements applied to an open top gondola car The side wall of a general service car shown in these figures comprises rolled steel top chord 63, rolled steel bottom chord 64 or side sill and a plurality of' panels 65 forming the web of the girder and retaining wall for the load and are formed similarly to the construction heretofore described for the hopper car.- The lower portion of these panels is provided with an inclined surface 66 forming a chute to discharge the load toward the door` opening, which inclined surface is provided with a return bend portion for attachment to the lower chord. The end of the side panel 67 is secured tothe side end panel 68 by means of diagonal flanges 69 secured together, as shown in Fig. 8.

Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive show amodied form of my improvement as applied to a general servicey car. fThe'side wall comprises the usual tension -member`64` and compression member 63 and the web member 6.5, the web comprising a plurality of cast metal panels having outwardly projecting flanges' 8 se s are formed with relianges 70 to strengthen and vstiien the constructibn. The lower portion of eachpanel is provided with a sloping portion 66 to discharge the lading into the 'door opening.

also provide a gusset member 81 .to secure lli panels 65 is formed o ytion to take care of the corresponding the cast metal panel 65, cross bearer 78 and the lower chord 6.4 together.

Figs. 13 and 14 show a modified construction wherein the top chord and bottom chord are omitted and the upper part 85 ofthe f ox girder construccompression, which function is usually performed by the top chord. If desirable, the adjacent panels may be secured together by the splice member 86. A similar .construction is provided at 'the lower portion of the side wall wherein the adjacent panels are secured together by the splice member 87.

Fig. 15 has been described heretofore.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form ofthe is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that yvarious modifications thereof within the scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a railway car of the hopper type, a side wall compnsin a top chord, a bottom chord,and a plurality of cast metal panels secured to said chords, said panels provided with flanges, said flanges being secured to corresponding flanges on adjacentpanels to perform the functions of the usual side stakes.

2. In a railway car of the hopiper type, a side wall compnsing a top chor a bottom chord, and a plurality of cast metal panels secured to said ichords, said panels provided with inwardlyy projecting flanges 'and outwardly projecting flanges, said flanges being secured to correspondin flanges on adjacent panels to perform t e functions of the usual side stakes.

3. In a railway car of the hopper type, a side wall comprising a top chord, a bottom chord, a plurality cured to said chords, said panels provided with flanges, said flanges being secured to flanges on adjacent panels to perform the functions of the usual side stakes, and a sloping floor comprising a plurality'of cast metal panels, said anels provided with downwardly rojectlng `flanges secured to corresponding flanges on adjacent panels to perform the functions of the usual floor still'eners.

4. In a railway car, a side wall comprising a plurality of cast metal. anels secured together and formed to per orm the functions of the usual side stakes.

5. A girder forming the side wall of a railway car comprising a rolled steel top chord, a rolled steel bottom chord, and a cast metal web.

6. A girder forming the side wall of a railway car comprising a rolled steel top chord, a rolled steel bottom chord, and a cast metal side wa invention, though i-t f of cast metal panels se.

web, said web comprising a plurality of panels having their adjacent marginal portions so formed and secured together to provide the stilfeners for the web ofthe girder. 7 .y A girder forming the side Wall of a railway car comprising a rolled steel top chord, a rolled steel bottom chord, and a cast metal web formed with integral stil'eners for the web of the girder.

. 8.l In a railway car, an integral casting forming part ofthe end wall, part'` of the l, and part of the slopin floor.

GARTH G. ILPIN.

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